Restaurant review - Thikana, Hinjewadi

Ambiance - ****
Menu - ***
Service - ***
Taste - ****

Overall - ***1/2

Located on the busy Hinjewadi road, near the flyover, it's in the same building as Absolute barbecue and Tarsh. The building as enough parking and valet service is also available - though on weekends, even that parking maybe full.

Tuesday to saturday, they have special evenings - girls night, guy's night etc. You can check on their website. Also, they have many offers ongoing on drinks usually. They are not Zomato Gold members though.

Outer smoking zone is quite good, though you will smell the smoke a bit even if no one near you is smoking. Inner non-smoking zone is small because of the presence of the bar and also the dance floor. It's beautifully decorated though. Seats are quite comfortable as well.

Menu options are quite limited. But whatever they serve is quite good. Of all the things we tried there, drunken vegetables was the best. Almost all the dishes that we tried were either good or better. No complaints on that front yet. Service is also quite prompt. Also, you don't have to wait for the same steward to come to you to place your next order. Billing was also prompt.

The biggest NEGATIVE about the place was that when we went there, there was no water in the washroom. Despite letting them know multiple times, nothing was done and we were handed over the bill immediately because I suppose they feared we won't pay the bill as we were complaining about the water. It was girl's night and there was a big crowd. Having no water in the washroom for the entire evening on such an evening is not just wrong but really unhygienic. Not done.

Restaurant review - 24/7 Gallery Cafe, Hyatt Hinjewadi

Ambiance - **1/2

Menu - **

Taste - **1/2

Service/Price - **1/2

Overall - **

This place is in Hinjewadi Phase 1, next to Lemon Tree. Valet parking is available. The ambiance of this place is pretty ordinary. Bland even. From some of the seats, the pool is visible, but that's hardly any solace - this place is on mezzanine floor. I would expect more from Hyatt frankly.

We went for lunch on a weekday, so they had a buffet. A la carte was available but took them 3 attempts to bring in the menu (probably had to search for it) and it was a small menu. Not impressed at all. Maybe they don't expect people to go for a la carte on a weekday afternoon - not totally unfair. The options in the buffet were quite limited. Generally restaurants tend to keep different number of items depending on the day of the week. But then for the price I was paying, I expected more.

Taste wise the food was nothing more than ordinary. In fact it was less than ordinary. They served 4 starters on the table. One of them had a hair in it. They of course replaced it immediately, but then.. come on... Hyatt? So basically the lunch started on a bad note and it didn't pick up. Chicken starter was good. Others not at all. Fish curry was good. Chicken in two pepper sauce was not. The fried rice was kept on a flat pan on mild heat so that it remains warm... however, that made the rice harder and was almost impossible to eat. Trying to keep it warm is fine, but then it should be kept in a deeper pan so that it doesn't burn. Very limited and pretty simple dessert options. One of them looked good but tasted bland again.

And, it being a Hyatt, costed quite a bit - and no corporate discounts unless there's a group of 10 people. So another negative there.

Overall... avoid.

Restaurant review - Double Roti - Vimaan Nagar, Pune

Ambiance - ***

Menu - ***1/2

Taste - **1/2

Service/Price - ***1/2

Overall - ***

First thing I should clarify is that I was invited for food tasting at Double Roti, so we had a preset menu. We did order some extra stuff as well though.

The ambiance. The location of the place in the mall makes it difficult to provide a great ambiance. Still, they have tried some interesting stuff like the hanging lights under steel beaters, having a board for drinks menu, a small truck on each table for holding the cutlery, etc. But there's no theme to it so it comes off as a disjointed effort. But then, you might like it. It's more of a cafe than a proper restaurant in terms of looks. It's location in the heart of Vimaan nagar makes parking a little difficult. Lookout for a free spot nearby instead.

Menu is consistent with the name. Almost full of bread related items. Burgers, sandwiches, pizzas. There are a few other items too but very few. I liked the menu for consistency and having quite a few options in that area. But it just becomes too much of bread after a while. It's huge too! They don't have alcohol serving license yet. They're expecting it soon. They serve stuff in .. different dishes. Steel pan, glass jar, milk bottles, muffin tray, etc. But this trend is becoming all too common nowadays.

We had quite a few mocktails, starters and main course dishes - 

• Masala lemonade - very basic, but good
• Cold coffee - Good
• Madras cold coffee (with filter coffee) - couldn't get it right after 3 attempts. I should say, couldn't get it to our liking. Either was too watery or didn't have the right taste
• Peach and passionfruit iced tea - ok
• Lime mint cooler - alright
• Nutty affair - like liquid peanut butter. You may like it
• Oreo o Oreo shake - The best of the lot
• 
  
• Chicken chilly and Jalapeno quesadilla - Good
• Shrimp corns - best starter especially with the tangy sweet sauce
• Peri peri chicken tenders - ok
• Chilli potato torpedos - the fried potatoes were McCain chilli potatoes kept on chilly and topped with cheese. Tasted good but then that's McCain. Not Double Roti.
• Pickle chips - ok
• Mausi's thecha chilli cheese toasts - needs more flavor. Maybe a different cheese?
• 
  
• Beef (carabeef) sandwiches/burgers - were ok. Tasted good. But the beef patty was a little tough
• Lamb burgers - same story. Tasted ok.
• Chicken burgers - ok. No great shakes
• Pizza - thin crust, but kinda bland. Again maybe a different cheese or combination of cheeses might help
• Fish and chips - basa fish doesn't do it for me. Fries were ok fish was pretty much bland.
•  
• Waffle - topped with lots of fruit and syrup. That part tasted good, but the waffle itself was a little too dense for my liking

Service was good, price - though I didn't pay - looks to be ok too. No major complaints there. 

Overall, it's worth a try if you want something ... bready... and nothing else.

Restaurant review - Shizusan, The Asian Bistro - Phoenix mall, Pune

Ambiance - ***1/2

Menu - ****1/2

Taste - ****

Service/Price - ***1/2

Overall - ****

Shizusan!!!

The bistro takes its inspiration from its mascot’s - Shizusan’s - explorations across China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea & Malaysia. The ambiance is simple and not in your face, which is a good thing. Menu is interesting. It takes you through Shizusan's journey and also has sketches of the dishes in the menu - that helps in deciding what you want to eat. Good thinking. Half a point just for this. The number of items in the menu is huge! Since I had gone there for tasting, there was a preset menu of some of their best dishes. Tried most of them. Here's the feedback on them -

DIMSUMS & DUMPLINGS

Veg. Selection

1. Edamame, Petit Pois & Truffle Oil (S) - A light green pocket and a lingering wasabi aroma – délicieux! Japanese soul; French flavour. --- 3/5. Needs more flavour
2. Crystal Vegetables (S) - Translucent dumplings with the freshest carrots, squash and crunchy pokchoy --- 4/5. Beautifully translucent. Good taste
3. Vegetable Chui Chow (S) - Pouches of tofu, mushroom and roasted peanuts served with chilli oil --- 2.5/5. Too bland

Non - Veg. Selection

1. Prawn & Chive (S) - Inspired by Malaysian food stalls  – tender prawn and minced chives with a pickled green chilli relish --- 4/5. Needs more spices
2. Poached Chicken (S) - Money bag-shaped pockets of minced chicken, ginger, chestnuts, and pokchoy; Served in a tangy broth --- 4.5/5. Excellent
3. Lamb Suimai (S) - With a filling of minced lamb, leek and coriander - some serious flavour packed into one dish --- 4/5
4. Shizusan’s Chicken Soup Dumplings (S) - Dumplings filled with steaming hot broth of minced chicken and shiitake mushrooms. Make a small tear with your chopsticks (or fork) and then sip, slurp and savour! --- 3/5. The hot broth was good. Delicious in fact. But the dumpling itself was, meh…

COLD SMALL PLATES

Veg. Selection

1. Shizusan’s 17 Ingredient Signature Slaw - Pickled red onions, salted plum dressing coupled with my secret ingredients --- 4.5/5. Excellent, inspite of being veg ;)
2. Vietnamese Watermelon Salad - Fresh radish, mint, cilantro, feta, toasted almonds in a nutty chilli and garlic soy dressing --- 3/5. Would have preferred a more fresh taste

Non - Veg. Selection

1. Tuna Carpaccio - Topped with chillies, lime, Thai fish sauce, crispy onions and burnt garlic --- 3.5/5

HOT SMALL PLATES

Veg. Selection

1. Pepper Garlic Mushrooms - Tossed generously with Thai holy basil and Shaoxing wine --- 4/5. Nice mix of flavours
2. Chilli Celery Cottage Cheese - Cooked with Sichuan peppers and dried red chillies --- 5/5. Best veg flavour of the evening. Just fantastic

Non - Veg. Selection

1. Malay Style Chicken Satay - Marinated in galangal and lemongrass with the hotness of bird’s eye chilli --- 3/5. Too average and safe compared to other dishes
2. Baby Back Ribs - Flavoured with our homemade barbecue sauce and signature spice rub --- 5/5. Now this definitely was the best non-veg dish of the evening. Succulent. Spicy. Perfectly cooked

SUSHI - (8 pieces to a plate)

Veg. Selection

1. Sriracha Blush - Wholesome avocado, cucumber, crispy jalapeno and cream cheese --- 4/5
2. Asparagus Tempura - Crispy asparagus centre covered in nori and a black sesame crust --- 4/5
3. Quinoa Maki - Pickled veggies and seaweed complemented with wasabi peas --- 3/5. The idea of using Quinoa is good. But it just doesn't work that well

Non-Veg. Selection

1. Dynamite Shrimp - A delectable shrimp tempura centre topped with Sriracha mayo --- 3/5. Needs more flavour
2. Mud Crab Salad - A sweet and tender core with ponzu, prawn, tobiko and baby mayo --- 3.5/5
3. Rainbow Maki - Tuna, salmon, crab stick, cucumber, tobiko --- 3.5/5. Good presentation. Tastewise, it was ok

SASHIMI - Assorted Platter of 9

STEAMED BAOS

Veg. Selection

1. Crispy Portobello - Cool minced cucumber accompanied by Sriracha mayo and jalapenos --- 4/5 though it was a little tough to eat

Non-Veg. Selection

1. Pulled Chicken Bun - Succulent chicken cooked in an Asian BBQ sauce plus caramelised onions and slaw --- Did not taste
2. My PBJ Bao - 12-hour braised pork belly topped with a hot jalapeno slaw --- Did not taste

Entrées

Veg. Selection

1. Stir Fried Oriental Greens - Fresh coriander, light soy and crispy garlic gravy --- Did not taste
2. Trio of Mushroom & Asparagus - Shiitake, button and oyster mushrooms with galangal, basil and baby garlic --- Did not taste

Non - Veg. Selection

1. Steamed Thai Fish - Marinated in garlic, chilli and lime dressing. Spice meets tang in this combination --- 3/5. Needs a stronger dressing
2. Pattani Lamb Chops - With the lip smacking Thai flavours of fresh green peppercorn, ginger and basil --- 3.5/5. Well cooked. Taste ok
3. Minced Chicken Kaprow - Thailand’s popular staple fare cooked in red chilli, galangal and young garlic --- 3.5/5. Nice and spicy. But chicken was a little over done

CURRY BOWLS

1. Thai Green Curry
1. Veg --- Did not taste
2. Chicken --- Did not taste

RICE

1. Hot Stone Rice - Watch as I take this classic dish and transform it on your table right before your eyes! --- 3.5/5. A little (very little) bit of theatre to the process. Tasted fine but the rice wasn't cooked through

NOODLES

1. Phad Thai Noodles - My take on the very popular sweet–spicy flat rice noodles --- 4.5/5. Spicier than most phad thai noodles that you get at other places
2. Chilli Garlic Noodles - For those who want to play it safe and spicy --- Did not taste

DESSERTS

1. Peanut Butter Pie - Topped with chocolate ganache and roasted peanuts --- 4/5. Very… peanutty :)
2. Lychee & Date Wontons - Crunchy and sweet golden brown wontons with vanilla ice cream --- 3/5. Idea is good. But didn't get a taste of either lychee or dates
3. Tiramisu Asia - Green tea sponge, coffee dust and creamy mascarpone, a recipe from the modern bylanes of China --- 4.5/5. I don't like tiramisu. But this was quite good. Definitely best of the three

DRINKS

1. Apple based and watermelon based mocktails were fantastic. Orange was ok.
2. They don't have alcohol license yet. But they expect to get it in another month.

Service was very good and efficient. There was a little lull in the middle but that's expected considering the restaurant was full and we were a very picky bunch. Sukhmanjeet did a fantastic job of tending to our table. And he knew well what he was serving. That's very important. Thank you.

Price, what do you expect? Of course it's high. The premium being charged is for the extra efforts they have taken to tweak the dishes and making them more exciting. I would say, go there once. At least. After that, decide based on the increment that you get this year… 

Restaurant Review - Social Clinic - Koregaon Park, Pune

Ambiance - **1/2

Menu - ***

Taste - **

Service/Price - ***

Overall - **1/2

Visited Social Clinic at Madness for a food tasting event along with fellow foodies. It is part of 3 sections of "Madness". The theme is that of an operation theatre. Wheelchairs instead of normal chairs, operation theatre lights on the outside, stewards and stewardesses dressed as doctors and nurses. But that's where it stops. There are tables outside & inside that have nothing to do with the theme. The cutlery and other accessories are also run of the mill and the menu only has the page titles which are more "doctory" but actual dish names or serving bowls etc. are all normal. Drinks are served in different types of glasses and things out of a chemistry lab rather than a hospital. They did mention that they wanted to tone down the theme as not everyone may like it - but then it defeats the whole purpose of having a theme. Oh and there is valet parking so you don't have to worry about that. However, do ensure that they know how to turn off the lights of your car - mine were left on for 4 hours while I was there.

There's a second "Donkey's arse" which is a bar/comedy club that is pretty nicely decorated with funky furniture and lighting. But we didn't get a chance to listen to the comedy standup. Also there's a kid's section themed around super heroes where there are various games and food items for the kids. Parents can leave their kids in that section while they have dinner downstairs or go out shopping at KP. That was closed due to some regulatory issues which they are trying to resolve.

So back to chef's table. There was a set menu for us which the chef believed were the best dishes from their kitchen. A look at their regular menu showed that it is … multi-cuisine. Mexican to American to Middle eastern to North Indian to Goan to Vietnamese to Chinese and more. I personally prefer more themed menu but then it's the restaurant's prerogative. The bar menu has the usual cocktails and mocktails plus some special ones that were served to us. So here's what we tried -

Drinks

1. Pepper Mary - Bloody mary served in capsicum. Extra salt. Tasted good
2. Last war - Ok
3. Beyond expectations - Alright. Not too sweet
4. Lambi Nashili Chai - Long island iced tea with orange juice and lemon juice instead of coke. Served in a HUGE tube with tubes for everyone to drink from. Was ok. Though I love oranges, the orange flavour didn't go too well with the liquor in it
5. Ginger based mocktail - Good. Spicy
6. Green apple mocktail - Alright
7. Strawberry mocktail - VERY sweet
8. Full charge - Was ok
9. Bellini - Sparkling wine based. Good

Appetizers

1. Mushroom Galauti - based on the feedback from other foodies (I allergic to mushrooms), it was too spicy for their taste
2. Mix veg coriander - Not good at all. Bland. However the spring onion sauce and the tomato garlic sauce server with it was amazing
3. Chilly garlic potatoes - was just about alright. Needed more salt and garlic though
4. Chipotle prawns - Slightly sweeter than it should be but was good nevertheless
5. Tandoori pomfret - Very bland. And dry. Probably because it was served on a sizzler plate
6. Murg malai tikka - Soft and juicy but there was some weird taste to it that I couldn't put a finger on. Couldn't eat more than a bite
7. Chilly five spice chicken - Not good. The five spices need some rearrangement in it. Not a good combo

Main course

1. Mad farmer pizza - Veg pizza. Dunno what was mad about it. Was very bland and again that weird taste from the murg malai tikka in it. Even the cheese didn't taste good
2. Cottage cheese betook - Best dish of the evening. Sauce was amazing. Paneer was nicely cooked.
3. Wild mushroom stuff chicken - Based on the feedback, it was too dry and needed more spices. Mashed potatoes were good. Quite good
4. Garlic prawns - Not cooked properly. Struggled to eat
5. Mad chef creation - Veg burger. Tasted ok. Not my thing. Might tickle some tastebuds
6. Mutton rogan josh - Cooked well was too mild. Needed more spices
7. Tandoori chicken momos - We were served the same momos as before and told these are tandoori chicken momos, even when we mentioned that this is the same as before

Desserts

1. Gulab Jamun Brulee - Of course sweet. Could have been good, but the brulee was not done properly. Sugar crystals were still clearly visible and not caramelized well
2. Spanish Churos - Good. Chocolate sauce is always good
3. Brownie with ice cream - Standard. Made well

No issues with the service. However prices are a bit on the higher side.

Overall, I believe the idea is good but they need to go full on with that theme. Even then, diners will come once for the novelty. After that, it's the food that will stick in their mind. That needs a lot of improvement.

Tips & Tricks - 20 tips for a better time in kitchen

Everyone who cooks faces these issues regularly. Here are some tips for a better time in the kitchen -

1. When making dough for bajra or jowar bhakri, make it using warm water and cover it for sometime after the dough is ready. This will reduce breakage while making bhakri
2. While making ghee or clarified butter, make it in a non-stick pan. It's doesn't stick at all and gets cleaned easily
3. Apply a little lemon juice to apple slices. This will prevent them from becoming red
4. While boiling potatoes, put a little turmeric powder in the water. They will boil quickly
5. Put neem leaves in rice or any grains that are stored. It will reduce formation of larvae
6. Before cooking spinach, if it is cut using a grinder, the green color will stay
7. While making laddoo or similar sweets, use milk instead of water while making the sugar syrup. Tastes better
8. When you're making curd from warm milk, if you immerse and move around alum inside the mix for a few seconds. Curd will become thicker
9. Store dry coconut pieces inside toor dal. Coconut will not spoil
10. While roasting brinjals for making bharta, apply a little cooking oil all over it and also make a few holes using a knife. They will roast better and steam will also nto get trapped inside
11. Soak rice in water for sometime before cooking. The grains will remain separate and also become bigger. Also, put a little oil in the pan for this
12. Mix peanuts with wet hands before roasting. They will roast better
13. To remove lemon juice stains, rub ginger on it
14. While making bhendi (okra), put a few teaspoons of curd in it. It won't become sticky
15. Put a little lemon juice in sugar syrup so the sugar doesn't crystalize again
16. Soak lemon in warm water for a few minutes, you will get more juice out of it
17. Grind rock salt in the grinder every month. Helps keep the blades sharp
18. Put a little boric powder in the corners of the kitchen to keep cockroaches away
19. If your hand is smelling of onions or fish, rub besan (chick pea flour) on it and wash. Smell will go away
20. Carrot, Tomoto, Cucumber, Radish, beet etc. become stale and soft after a few days. Soak them in salt water overnight. They will become fresh again

Restaurant Review - Incognito - Phoenix Mall, Pune

Ambiance - 3.5
Menu - 4
Taste - 4.5
Service/Price - 3.5
Overall - 4

This place is located in Phoenix mall, so parking is of course not at issue. It's a small place but there are enough tables squeezed in without compromising much on privacy. The decor is decent, a bit classy too.

I like the menu. Different cuisines are available though a bit heavier on Italian side. For other cuisines there are limited options available but that's the good part. Concentrating few good dishes is better than offering everything but not doing justice to any of it. We had Chilli Potato shots (that looked suspiciously like the frozen ones we get from McCain, though the taste was slightly different) served with Mayonnaise, Phuket style fried chicken served with peanut sauce (this dis was amazing, chicken was juicy, seasoning just right, but tasted better with the mayonnaise rather than the peanut sauce), Malaysian Laksa curry (again very well made), Sicilian veg pizza (thin crust, just the right amount of cheese), Chicken Lasagna (Very well made, but heavy to eat) and Chicken Cacciatore (another stunning dish, the baked potato on the side was even better). The fact that they did not forget the "no mushroom" instruction from me is commendable (i have had bad experiences in other places in the past).

Service was good, price is a bit high. They need to serve more quantity in the starters for the price they charge. Also, as mentioned earlier, change the sauce on side for the Phuket style chicken. Oh and the charge for sprite at 100 rs + taxes??? just too much.

Overall costly but delicious.

Restaurant review - Gokhale Mala, Alandi road, Bhosari

Ambiance - 3
Menu - 3.5
Taste - 4
Service/Price - 3.5
Overall - 3.5

This place being very close to my office (and pretty much the only decent place closer to office) we go there often for lunch. Dinner is also available here and weekends are very crowded. There is usually enough parking available, at least during lunch.

There is a big, hall like dining place (open from all sides) in the middle of a guava plantation. There are many charpais kept below the trees for you to relax after the meal or to wait if you don't get a table immediately. A few swings as well.

Seating is like a usual dining hall. You don't get a separate table. The menu is also fixed. There's a smaller hall towards the entrance of the place itself where you can have snacks, but no one usually comes to this place for snacks. It's meant for meals and that's what you should go for. The menu usually has pithla, one dry vegetable, matki usal, kadhi, chapati, bhakri, rice, dal with ghee, butter, different papads, some pakoda and pickle. The green chili kharda is very hot, so be careful. Also, buttermilk and sweets are available (usually shrikhand and gulab jamun) and you can pay for it after the meal if you haven't already paid for it while entering the place (pre-pay model).

Taste of all the dishes is consistent no matter when you go. It's good. During peak times, serving is a little slow. But other than that, they are fine. Price of course is something that is slightly on the higher side considering that they are so out of the way and taste wise it's not exceptional, nor from variety of menu wise.

If you are bored of the run of the mill restaurants in the city, this is worth an outing.

Restaurant Review - Jovos - NIBM Road

Ambiance - 3
Menu - 3.5
Taste - 4.5
Service/Price - 4.5
Overall - 4

Wanted to try a new place for lunch on my birthday. After looking around on Zomato, decided to go to Jovos as it had good ratings and the menu looked interesting. It's on NIBM road in Bizz Bay mall. The mall itself looks deserted, and there were 2-3 restaurants there that have shutdown. When you get into Jovos, that's the kind of feeling you get initially. The pic on Zomato and the reality of the decor/interiors is very different. Some things are falling apart some have been intentionally kept that way - which is not bad. Some interesting ideas in terms of decoration are being tried but some look very tacky. But at least they're trying something different, which is good. The way the menu is presented or the fact that they put bubble wrap in place of table mats, are some of the things I liked about the place. It's different. But need to make it better. more classy.

The menu is not too big. But that also makes it possible for them to have things that are different from the usual run of the mill dishes. Most of the dishes that they serve are named differently, made differently and served differently. We tried quite a few dishes including Chicken Tikka in mason jar, Chicken fingers in orange sauce, Dal gosht, etc. Each of them tasted quite well. The tikka was juicy, dal gosht was perfectly cooked, and the orange sauce was just stunning. We also had a bite sized chicken cheese fries that was not on the menu. That was also very good. Loved all including the long island iced tea that was served in a huge measuring jar :)

Service was good. Everything was served well within time and everyone was very courteous. No one breathing down our neck with "over concern". Price is very reasonable. 

Definitely try this place out. Forget about everything else, just enjoy the taste.

    

Restaurant review - Global Grill, Chinchwad

Ambiance - 3
Menu - 3
Taste - 3
Service/Price - 3.5
Overall - 3

Global Grill is by the same management as Sigree. I didn't know it until I got here. It's located in a shopping mall at Chinchwad. Not sure how many people go to the mall, but that also means there's usually enough parking space available. 

The decor of the place is good. Not cluttered and the tables are also not too close to each other. So overall it's fine, However, unfortunately, the washrooms stink. STINK. I usually don't comment about washrooms in my reviews, but this one merited a mention - for the wrong reasons.

Menu here is nothing impressive. The usual stuff. They serve unlimited starters on the grill on your table until you ask them to stop. The starter options were very limited. Tasted alright. Since this place is in direct competition with Barbecue nation, I can't help but mention that the starters (which is the most important course in these restaurants) are better at BN compared to this place, both in terms of options and taste. The main course was ok as well. If you're a pasta lover there are a few options available in main course. Desserts were alright too. Nothing much to write about. One thing that I should definitely mention - Lychee flavored cocktail (Margarita? Not sure since it's not listed in the menu on Zomato) was amazing! and quite potent as well I must say.

Service was fine, no real complaints there. Price was decent as well, though I would like it to be slightly lesser.

So this is it. Give it a try and hope they have improved by then.

Restaurant review - Turque - Sayaji Hotel - Wakad, Pune

Ambiance - ****
Menu - ***1/2
Taste - **1/2
Service/Price - ***
Overall - ***

Turque is located at Sayaji hotel so parking is never an issue. There are three restaurants there, BBQ Nation, Portico - which usually has a buffet lunch/dinner and Turque - ala carte restaurant. The menu here changes depending on the "festival" they are celebrating. The last time we went there it was Chinese festival, so everything was decorated in red. Looked nice. There's a swimming pool here around which the tables are placed. Overall nicely spaced out and you get enough privacy. If there's a party going on in the grounds next to the hotel, then it is quite loud here. Also, wedding receptions etc. are also usually on in another area next to it - but that shouldn't make a difference. Another thing about this place is the live music performance. The singers are really good and sing songs on request too.

Menu is pretty standard but as I mentioned earlier, it changes slightly based on the festival going on. There were some interesting dishes that we tried there. Not all of them good. The soup was bland. And the starters we tried, though sounded interesting (i don't remember the names anymore) were blander. There are few Turque special cocktails. We liked two specifically - Lust and Naughty desire. The latter was especially nice watermelon based cocktail which is quite... potent. Otherwise, the food was not good enough for me. Too bland. Maybe next time I will have to try something different and see if it works for me.

Price is definitely on the higher side. Service is good - non-intrusive and polite. In fact, they didn't charge us for one of the dishes that we had because we didn't like that dish at all. No complaints there, but the price brings the overall rating down in this area.

Worth a visit for the cocktails and the ambiance. Definitely.

Restaurant review - Level 12 - Double Tree by Hilton, Chinchwad

Ambiance - ***
Menu - ***1/2
Taste - ***
Service/Price - ***
Overall - ***

Another Zomato meetup. Another chance to try out a new place. Another chef's table guaranteeing the best of their dishes. Complimentary. I found no reason to refuse to attend this meetup. So there I was, first to reach as usual after a long long drive through the city traffic.

Doube Tree is located in a crowded area near Chinchwad station. However, they have enough parking space and also valet parking. There are multiple restaurants there, the one we went to was Level 12 located on.. guess which floor..? 12th silly. First thing you notice, while going up, is that lift is really badly lit. I didn't get into the lift the first time because I thought it's faulty. I didn't want to get stuck in it. But then I realised that that's how the lighting in it is. Unfortunately, the story is the same at the restaurant as well. You can hardly see what's in the menu unless you hold it up so that the fire from behind the waterfalls lights it up. Same story while eating. We had to switch on the cellphone flashes and torches to see what we were eating, and take 5-6 photos to get that perfect frame. Or in some cases take the dishes near the fire for a better photograph. This really should change. It is not classy nor romantic if you struggle to see your beloved's face while on a romantic dinner. The view from the hotel is good though since it is on 12th floor. Bonus.

The menu is pretty standard, though some of the dishes are named differently. We had a fixed menu but then the head chef for the three restaurants came up and decided to offer some dishes which were not on it. That was good. My take on the items we ate -

1. Sweetlime soda - Easy thing to make but the sweet and salted perfect mix is difficult to achieve. It wasn't achieved
2. Thecha aloo - Story behind the creation of this dish was good. I struggled to find the taste of thecha in the dish. 
3. Tandoori tawa gobi - Decent. Well cooked
4. Palak patta chat - Good innovation. Tasted like chat, obviously. Good starter and something that you would want to make at home too for the sheer novelty exotic factor of it.
5. Dahi puri/waterless pani puri - Decent. No great shakes
6. Fish tikka - Well cooked. Just enough burnt bits. Tasted good. Not dry.
7. Seekh kebab - Well cooked. Decent taste. Not extraordinary.
8. Malai drums of heaven - Slightly difficult to eat. Tasted alright. Not something I would recommend
9. Paneer lababdaar - Paneer was soft. The gravy was again, regular. 
10. 12 ki daal - Best dish of the day. Perfect softness. Just right amount of butter. Spices were just right. Definitely worth eating again and again
11. Jeera pulao - Good
12. Subz dum biryani- Surprisingly good. Served from a cooker. veggies were cooked well, rice grains were separate. spices were just about right - not extra. Another positive dish
13. Mix veg raita - Standard
14. Roti/naan/laccha paratha/amrutsari kulcha - Amritsari Kulcha was good. give it a try.
15. Butter chicken - Not as good as it should be. Butter chicken is one of the standard dishes that is available in any restaurant. Needs the right amount of butter and sweetness and yet should not be overly sweet. That balance couldn't be achieved.
16. Lamb shanks curry - Looked good. Tasted bad. The spice mix used was just not right. Didn't tickle my taste buds
17. Jalandhar ki special malai kulfi - Ordinary
18. Tiffin halwa - Served in an old style steel tiffin box. Moong dal halwa. was cooked well, needed to be a little more sweet.
19. Sugarfree Date Fig and mascorpone ice cream - Worst dish of the day. Confused dish. Absolutely no taste. 

The funny part of the price is that many dishes have the prices ending in "12" because of the name of the restaurant. Some creativity shown there. Prices are on the higher side considering the other aspects of the restaurant. Service, well, what do I say. They were trying very hard but even when there were hardly any other people in the restaurant, it was a struggle to manage our table of around 12 people. Stewards didn't always know what they were serving, they served paneer lababdaar on top of butter chicken (bad lighting), we waited for clean cutlery and got it only after multiple reminders, some of us had to wait a long time to get roti/naan or some curry before we could start eating. So, even though the head chef was very gracious in attending to our table personally, the service from the other staff wasn't up to the mark - in fact well below the mark.

Overall, an ok experience. can't say anymore.

Restaurant review - Cafe 1730

Ambiance - ***1/2
Menu - ***1/2
Taste - ****
Service/Price - ***1/2
Overall - ***1/2

So, decided to have our anniversary lunch at Cafe 1730. Reason? no particular reason actually. Just looked up on Zomato, saw a couple of good reviews and decided to give this a try.

It's located at the end of Lane 6 in Koregaon Park. Parking is on the side of the road, i suppose it should not be an issue even in the evenings. Also, they have valet parking if needed. The restaurant is "music theme" based. From the moment you walk in, you see a lot of photographs and posters of various singers and musicians with some tidbits about them. The restaurant is tastefully decorated. I liked the way the ceiling is done - sort of half complete look, but still quite nice. The windows on the front - though have curtains - need to be cleaned. With the curtains open, the place is much better. Just below the window, on the outside, there are some horizontal beams. I would suggest that the restaurant management puts some Italian flower beds there. would look amazing.

As soon as I opened the menu, I was reminded of Ms S Roy Choudhury's comment on her review - multiple personality disorder. They menu, is a mix of continental, North Indian, Goan, etc. But then many places have that kind of menu, so it didn't really bother me. Something for everyone, right? :) The menu also has some interesting tidbits about musicians and, as the menu cover says, chefs - since they are celebrating the art of cooking too. There's place for live band performances as well. So music theme stays, food gets added - but only on the menu. The interiors are still about music. Some of the stuff on the menu is interesting to read. I liked the one about the scottish word for the panic you feel when you need to introduce someone whose name you have forgotten! :D. Oh I still don't know why the menu card says, Cafe 1730 - Surf and Turf?

We tried a lot of different cocktails there and all of them were made correctly. No mistakes or missing items in it. The starter we ordered was Crunchy chicken with Garlic-Chilli dip. Was very good. In the main course, we had Non veg Moussaka and Bacon and Cheese burger. Both the dishes were excellently made. I didn't like the carabeef in the burger - the patty was slightly drier than needed. everything else was very good - and that's not just the alcohol speaking ;)

The total bill for everything was on the higher side - around 2800INR, out of which majority was for the alcohol.

All in all, a good place to visit. Good ambiance. Good staff. Decent menu. Good food. The Italian flowerbeds will just make it better ;)

     

 

Mainland China - Hinjewadi - Restaurant review

Ambiance - ***1/2
Menu - ****
Taste - ***
Service/Price - ***
Overall - ***

Mainland China has many outlets in the city and I have visited most of them. This was the only one I had not visited. So, since it was a day off, decided to give it a try.

As always, the ambiance is good. All Mainland China outlets have similar feel about them. This one is no different. What I didn't really like were the earthen pots kept as decoration items near the buffet section. they looked more like.. they were holding someone's ashes. Not exactly appetizing.

Menu, service and price were decent. Very similar to other outlets. The let down is - the most important aspect of any restaurant - the taste. I had gone at lunch time on a weekday. So decided to try that. They serve the starters at the table and main course is to be taken from the counters. There were very limited non-veg starters - one fish, one chicken, one shrimp. chicken was OK, fish was strictly OK, shrimps were bad. The main course wasn't too different. Again the same three options - looking uncannily similar to the starters I had. The taste was also not much different from the starters. The fried rice was not properly cooked and assorted pastry plate had just one type of pastry. One dessert was good - chocolate wrapped in rice paper (I think) and fried - forgot its name. Oh and I had ordered a kiwi daiquiri that came in after my main course started - and it was just too sweet.

So overall, not a good experience especially with the kind of expectations we (I) tend to have from Mainland China. I still think the outlet on SB road is probably their best.

North2South Restaurant review

Ambiance - ***
Menu - ****
Taste - *****
Service/Price - ****
Overall - ****

Located in the busy Viman nagar area, this is a small place that serves - no prizes for guessing - north Indian and south Indian food. Now, serving one good cuisine itself is a tough task, so I was naturally curious to see how good they are in serving two diametrically opposite cuisines. Everything about the two is different - the spices, the dishes, the taste, the texture, the items... so the foodie in me couldn't pass this opportunity.

Went there for lunch from my office, which is.. not exactly close to this place. It's a small place as mentioned earlier. There was some set up being done for new Gelato counter that they were gonna start, so it was a little.. umm.. less organized than what I would have expected. The tables and chair etc. were clean enough but the handwash area - that needs some work. It was not unclean, but it can be better set up. They have used the rolling pins to decorate the walls, which is interesting. the best part was the post it wall, where you can write your comments. Good to see what people think about the place - the comments were all good of course.

As mentioned earlier, menu is a mix of north and south indian dishes. There are some interesting options available including different types of dosa and kulcha. some of the options sound a little whacky and you may not be sure about how they will taste. But you gotto try before making a judgement.

We had a few things there. And I should say I was impressed. The fresh lime soda - salted and sweet had the perfect mix of the two tastes. It's always difficult to get this right - I think. The cholla bhatura was good. Very. Bhatura was obviously oily but not too much. And the cholle were perfectly cooked. well balanced with just a little bit of after taste of garam masala. There were just two concerns - the amount of cholle was less (they ofcourse refilled it when we requested) and the pudina chutney that was served it, didn't really go well with the dish. I would have preferred a more onion based chutney or just onions. We had melted cheese garlic kulcha - which turned out to be a surprise. a pleasant one. Felt like we were eating a different version of pizza. tasted amazing. Garlic was not overpowering the taste. Fantastic. The cholle that came with it, were different from the ones served with bhatura. These were without onion. and tasted different too, which was a surprise. Usually, restaurants tend to reuse cholle with different dishes. and this time the condiments with it were perfect. We had creamy matka kulfi too - which was also equally good - though I am not a big fan of kulfi. We couldn't try the south indian dishes so can't comment on it. We were too full with this. Maybe next time.

Service was good, but then it wasn't crowded at lunch time on a weekday. So can't comment much. No complaints though. and price is also good. for lunch for 2 people, the bill was less than 400 INR. so definitely worth the money.

Overall, I think it's a fantastic place to eat. A little more work on the set up and I am sure I will give it a 5 star for the restaurant of its kind.